The Mayor of London has a vision to transform East London into a new metropolitan quarter boasting new businesses, tourist attractions, homes and job opportunities. The scheme will boost once-in-a-lifetime economic regeneration of East London and form an essential new addition to a newly created Enterprise Zone. The cable car will also be a spectacular architectural addition – the first of its kind in the city – and a much-needed river crossing in the area, cutting travel times to five minutes.

Mace was appointed as the design and build contractor to deliver the Emirates Air Line and lead a consortium of experts, including cable car specialists, Doppelmayr, and Watson Steel, URS Scott Wilson, Buro Happold and Aedas. The complex project involves stretching 50-millimetre steel cables more than one kilometre between steel towers 90-metres high. The cables will carry 34 cabins, each capable of carrying 10 passengers, and provide a low-emission, quick, direct and fully accessible link connecting the Greenwich Peninsula and the O2 with the Royal Victoria Docks and the ExCeL.

Additionally Macro, Mace’s facilities and asset management arm, won the contract to run the entire operation, including all front of house services, ticketing, security and maintenance, and their supply chain employs close to 100 people with a large percentage coming from the local area.

Nine weeks after the official launch of the capital’s newest mode of transport, more than 1,000,000 passengers had travelled across the river.